She developed symptoms after returning to Rome from an African holiday.

She said: "This virus was already here months ago but we didn't know about it. I was infected in December but i only found out a few days ago that I have Covid-19 antibodies after having a test."

“I am not counted in any statistics but how many other cases must there be? I have been contacted by hundreds of others on Facebook with similar stories.”

"In early March I had a test for coronavirus as I thought it would be prudent but was negative, but then a few days ago my son developed a high fever."

"At that point we decided to all go as a family for tests at a private lab and that's when I discovered I was positive for the Covid antibodies, I had the immunoglobulin G which meant that I'd had a historical infection."

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Silvia says 'I had the immunoglobulin G which meant that I'd had a historical infection'Credit: Getty Images - Getty

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Cases could have been spreading for much longer than thought as Silvia fell ill with the killer bug a month before the country's first casesCredit: Getty Images - Getty

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